G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce RTX 4060 Ti

2023

Why buy it

✅393.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $300 less on MSRP ($399 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
✅Delivers 1627.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 56.8 vs 3.3 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
✅300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 2 GB).

Trade-offs

❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Radeon HD 5970

2009

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 4060 Ti across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2009-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
75.2% HIGHER MSRP
$699 MSRPvs$399 MSRP

GeForce RTX 4060 Ti

2023

Radeon HD 5970

2009

Why buy it

✅393.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $300 less on MSRP ($399 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
✅Delivers 1627.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 56.8 vs 3.3 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
✅300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 2 GB).

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 4060 Ti across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2009-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
75.2% HIGHER MSRP
$699 MSRPvs$399 MSRP

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 4060 Ti better than Radeon HD 5970?

Yes. GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce RTX 4060 Ti averages 393.9% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 22,651 vs 2,297 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is a 2023 card with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation, while Radeon HD 5970 is a 2009 model from an older generation with FSR upscaling. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2023 generation instead of 2009, 886.1% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 8 GB instead of 2 GB, and better frame-generation support with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023) instead of FSR upscaling. That leaves it with more room for heavier textures, tougher ray tracing loads, and higher-end 1440p or 4K gaming over the next few years.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is about $300 cheaper on MSRP at $399 MSRP versus $699 MSRP, and you are getting 393.9% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 886.1% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 1627.6%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is Radeon HD 5970 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Radeon HD 5970 is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around $699 MSRP, even if GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is still the cleaner recommendation on overall value today.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Benchmark Check

Radeon HD 5970 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 4060 Ti	Radeon HD 5970
1080p
low	177 FPS	80 FPS
medium	162 FPS	65 FPS
high	142 FPS	51 FPS
ultra	124 FPS	33 FPS
1440p
low	143 FPS	67 FPS
medium	118 FPS	55 FPS
high	101 FPS	39 FPS
ultra	93 FPS	25 FPS
4K
low	93 FPS	24 FPS
medium	79 FPS	23 FPS
high	66 FPS	15 FPS
ultra	59 FPS	13 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Open Radeon HD 5970

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 4060 Ti	Radeon HD 5970
1080p
low	433 FPS	85 FPS
medium	363 FPS	62 FPS
high	294 FPS	48 FPS
ultra	240 FPS	32 FPS
1440p
low	278 FPS	49 FPS
medium	238 FPS	32 FPS
high	194 FPS	24 FPS
ultra	161 FPS	17 FPS
4K
low	123 FPS	18 FPS
medium	102 FPS	12 FPS
high	84 FPS	9 FPS
ultra	65 FPS	7 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Open Radeon HD 5970

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 4060 Ti	Radeon HD 5970
1080p
low	855 FPS	103 FPS
medium	693 FPS	83 FPS
high	609 FPS	69 FPS
ultra	510 FPS	52 FPS
1440p
low	660 FPS	78 FPS
medium	527 FPS	62 FPS
high	452 FPS	52 FPS
ultra	382 FPS	39 FPS
4K
low	447 FPS	52 FPS
medium	355 FPS	41 FPS
high	308 FPS	34 FPS
ultra	255 FPS	26 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Open Radeon HD 5970

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 4060 Ti	Radeon HD 5970
1080p
low	775 FPS	103 FPS
medium	639 FPS	83 FPS
high	558 FPS	69 FPS
ultra	492 FPS	52 FPS
1440p
low	613 FPS	78 FPS
medium	503 FPS	62 FPS
high	435 FPS	52 FPS
ultra	378 FPS	39 FPS
4K
low	375 FPS	52 FPS
medium	322 FPS	41 FPS
high	298 FPS	34 FPS
ultra	255 FPS	25 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Open Radeon HD 5970

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 4060 Ti and Radeon HD 5970

GeForce RTX 4060 Ti

The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 18 2023. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 2310 MHz to 2535 MHz. It has 4352 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 160W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 34 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 22,651 points. Launch price was $399.

Radeon HD 5970

The Radeon HD 5970 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 18 2009. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 725 MHz. It has 1600 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 294W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,297 points. Launch price was $699.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti scores 22,651 versus the Radeon HD 5970's 2,297 — the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti leads by 886.1%. The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is built on Ada Lovelace while the Radeon HD 5970 uses TeraScale 2, both on 5 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 4,352 (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti) vs 1,600 (Radeon HD 5970). Raw compute: 22.06 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti) vs 2.32 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 5970).

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060 Ti	Radeon HD 5970
G3D Mark Score	22,651+886%	2,297
Architecture	Ada Lovelace	TeraScale 2
Process Node	5 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	4352+172%	1600 ×2
Compute (TFLOPS)	22.06 TFLOPS+851%	2.32 TFLOPS ×2
ROPs	48+50%	32 ×2
TMUs	136+70%	80 ×2
L1 Cache	4.3 MB+1287%	0.31 MB
L2 Cache	32 MB+6300%	0.5 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is support for DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation. This allows it to generate entire frames using AI/Algorithms, essentially doubling the frame rate in CPU-bound scenarios or heavy ray-tracing titles. The Radeon HD 5970 lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon HD 5970 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060 Ti	Radeon HD 5970
Upscaling Tech	DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	Yes (DLSS 3.5)	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti comes with 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 5970 has 2 GB. The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti offers 300% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 128-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 32 MB (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 5970) — the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060 Ti	Radeon HD 5970
VRAM Capacity	8 GB+300%	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	288 GB/s	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	32 MB+6300%	0.5 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.2 (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti) vs 11.2 (Radeon HD 5970). Vulkan: 1.3 vs N/A. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 3.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060 Ti	Radeon HD 5970
DirectX	12.2+9%	11.2
Vulkan	1.3	N/A
OpenGL	4.6+5%	4.4
Max Displays	4+33%	3

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: 8th Gen NVENC (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti) vs None (Radeon HD 5970). Decoder: 5th Gen NVDEC vs UVD 2.2. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon HD 5970).

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060 Ti	Radeon HD 5970
Encoder	8th Gen NVENC	None
Decoder	5th Gen NVDEC	UVD 2.2
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti draws 160W versus the Radeon HD 5970's 294W — a 59% difference. The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti) vs 650W (Radeon HD 5970). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 240mm vs 305mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 70°C vs 90.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060 Ti	Radeon HD 5970
TDP	160W-46%	294W
Recommended PSU	550W-15%	650W
Power Connector	8-pin	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	240mm	305mm
Height	111mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	70°C-22%	90
Perf/Watt	141.6+1715%	7.8

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti launched at $399 MSRP, while the Radeon HD 5970 launched at $699. The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti costs 42.9% less ($300 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 56.8 (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti) vs 3.3 (Radeon HD 5970) — the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti offers 1621.2% better value. The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is the newer GPU (2023 vs 2009).